Multiple pivot closure for vacuum chamber



March 1, 1966 J. s. PETRUCCIO 3,237,799

MULTIPLE PIVOT CLOSURE FOR VACUUM CHAMBER Filed Dec. 26, 1965 I VENTOR. jib-P40? 'fFz/ccro ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofl'ice 3,237,799 Patented Mar. 1, 1966 3,237,799 MULTIPLE PIVOT CLOSURE FOR VACUUM CHAMBER Joseph S. Petruccio, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Potter Instrument Company, Inc., Plainview, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 333,524 2 Claims. (Cl. 22034) This invention relates to an elongated vacuum chamber such as used on magnetic tape transports for data processing equipment, and more particularly, to a hinged support for the chamber.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a support for a closure member on the front of a tape vacuum chamber, which permits ready access to the chamber and effective sealing of the chamber during operation.

Briefly, a vacuum chamber in accordance with the invention includes means to define an elongated chamber including a removable front member, said removable front member being supported at one edge by at least one hinge comprising, a link including pin means spaced apart thereon, one pin means attaching the link to said closure member and the other pin means attaching the link to the chamber, so that a double, pivotal axis is provided permitting the closure member to pivot outwardly away from the chamber and to one side.

The above and further objects and advantages of the invention will be understood better from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front panel of a vacuum chamber constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in cross section taken along the line 22 in FIG. 1 and showing in phantom lines the 3 portion of component parts during movement; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the portion of the chamber in FIG. 1 with a part cut away to reveal structure beneath.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a vacuum chamber in accordance with the invention is identified generally by the numeral 10. Such chamber is usually mounted on the front panel of a magnetic tape transport in a vertical position as depicted in FIG. 1 and includes a transparent front surface member 11, two sides 12 and 13, a bottom 14 and an open top 15 to permit a tape loop to enter.

Four plates 16, 17, 18 and 19 are shown in FIG. 1 and are located appropriately to provide the support for the movable front member 11 in accordance with the invention and as better shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the numeral 20 identifies the front panel of a tape transport to which the vacuum chamber 10 is attached by any suitable means. The sides 12 and 13 are seen better in FIG. 2, and the numeral 21 illustrates, in cross section, the back of the vacuum chamber 10 which is not visible in FIG. 1.

Also as best seen in FIG. 2, the vacuum chamber 10 provides a cavity 22 by the space between the closure member 11 and the back 21 and the two sides 12 and 13, the width of such space (vertically as viewed in FIG. 1) is just sufiicient to permit clearance by the width of a preselected tape, and the space between the sides 12 and 13 is selected to permit the development of a loop of tape therein having a preselected radius.

While other materials may be used for the front closure member 11, it is illustrated in this form of the invention as being made of glass.

The parts which appear to be plates 16, 17, 18 and 19 in FIG. 1 are better seen in FIG. 2 as embodying blocks with a notch 23 along one edge to receive a corner of the closure member 11 in sealing engagement therewith, as for example, by use of an epoxy cement. The opposite edge of the block is formed with a cavity 24.

The cavity 24 has a pin 25 extending across its width for engagement beneath a curve end 26 of a spring 27 supported against the side of the side 13.

The cavity 24:: has a pin 28 extending thereacross to pivotally support the block to the side 12 by the means of an intermediary member 29. A second pivotal axis 30 extends across the cavity 240 to provide a second pivotal axis therein, and a link 31 connects the two pins 28 and 30.

As better seen in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the pivotal axis 30 is defined by two separate pins 30:: and 30b which extend into the cavity 24a. Also as better seen in FIG. 3, the link 31 is in reality two separate links 31a and 31b.

In operation, the front closure member 11 is opened by first removing the vacuum from the chamber, and then, moving the edge along which the plates 16 and 18 are located outwardly permitting the axis 30 to move upwardly as viewed in FIG. 2 pivotally about axis 28. As the links 31a and 31b pivot around the axis 28, the closure member 11 moves to the left as viewed in FIG. 2 permitting the pin 25 to move out from under the curved end of the spring 27. Thereafter, the closure member 11 may be pivoted to the right as indicated by the phantom lines 32.

Various modifications may be made in the structure of the inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A vacuum chamber for retaining a loop of tape on a data processing tape transport apparatus comprising;

means defining at least one elongated chamber including a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite said first side wall, and a removable closure member opposite said back wall,

said removable closure member having surfaces which fit together in abutting relationship with surfaces on said first and second side walls when said closure member is in a closed position, a hinge supporting said closure member at one edge comprising at least one link, a first pin pivotally attaching one end of said link to said first side wall, and a second pin pivotally attaching the other end of said link to said closure member,

said first and second pins being positioned relative to one another when said closure member is in said closed position so that the longitudinal axis of said link extends approximately parallel to the plane of said closure member and so that said second pin is closer to the back of said chamber than said first pin, and a latch for holding said closure member in said closed position comprising a spring member fixed to said second side Wall and having an inclined surface facing toward said back wall and said first side wall of said chamber, and

an engaging member fixed to said closure member to engage said inclined surface of said spring member when said closure member is in said closed position so that said spring biases said closure member to its closed position,

whereby said closure member can be opened by initial movement of the hinged edge of said closure member out away from said first sidewall accompanied by .a lateral movement of the opposite edge of said front member away from said spring member to disengage said engaging member from said spring member..

2. Avacuum chamber for retaining a loop of tape on, a data processing tape transport apparatus comprising;

means defining at least one elongated chamber including a back wall, a first sidewall, a second side wall opposite said first side wall, and a removable closure member opposite said back wall,

saidremovable closure member having surfaces Which fit together in abutting relationship with, surfaces on said first and second side walls when said closure member is in a closed position, a hinge supporting said closure member at one edge comprising a plate member fixed to said closure member and defining a recess, first and second links spaced apart from each other in said recess,

said first side wall having a portion extending to fit between said first andsecond links, a first pin pivotally attaching one end of each of said first and second links tosaid extending portion of said first side wall, a second pin pivotally attaching the other end of said first link to said plate member, and a third pin pivotally attaching the other end of. said second link to said plate member,

said first pin being positioned relative to said second and third pins when said closure member is in said closed position so that the longitudinal axis of said first and second links extend approximately parallel to the plane of said closure member and so that said second and third pins are closer to the back of said chamber than said first pin, and

a latch for holding said closure member in said closed position comprising a spring member fixed to said second side wall and having an inclined surface facing toward said back wall and said first side wall of said chamber, and

an engaging member fixed to said closure member to engage said inclined surface of said spring member when said closure member is in said closed position so that said spring biases said closure member to its closed position,

whereby said closure member can be opened by initial movement of the hinged edge of said closure member out away from said first side wall accompanied by a lateral movement of the opposite edge of said frontmember away from said spring member to disengage said engaging member from said spring member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 428,402 5/1890 Morris 220-34 1,155,161 9/1915 Ramsey 16--163 1,193,204 8/1916 Taylor 1'6163 2,433,305 12/ 1947 Tal'cott 220-34 3,119,512 1/l964 Foster 220'--34 FOREIGN PATENTS 880,197 3/ 1943 France.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

R. A. JENSEN, R. H. SCHWARTZ,

Assistant Examiners. 

2. A VACUUM CHAMBER FOR RETAINING A LOOP OF TAPE ON A DATA PROCESSING TAPE TRANSPORT APPARATUS COMPRISING; MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED CHAMBER INCLUDING A BACK WALL, A FIRST SIDE WALL, A SECOND SIDE WALL OPPOSITE SAID FIRST SIDE WALL, AND A REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEMBER OPPOSITE SAID BACK WALL, SAID REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING SURFACES WHICH FIT TOGETHER IN ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH SURFACES ON SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIDE WALLS WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEMBER IS IN A CLOSED POSITION, A HINGE SUPPORTING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AT ONE EDGE COMPRISING A PLATE MEMBER FIXED TO SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND DEFINING A RECESS, FIRST AND SECOND LINKS SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER IN SAID RECESS, SAID FIRST SIDE WALL HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING TO FIT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND LINKS, A FIRST PIN PIVOTALLY ATTACHING ONE END OF EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LINKS TO SAID EXTENDING PORTION OF SAID FIRST SIDE WALL, A SECOND PIN PIVOTALLY ATTACHING THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST LINK TO SAID PLATE MEMBER, AND A THIRD PIN PIVOTALLY ATTACHING THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND LINK TO SAID PLATE MEMBER, SAID FIRST PIN BEING POSITIONED RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND AND THIRD PINS WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEMBER IS IN SAID CLOSED POSITION SO THAT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LINKS EXTEND APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND SO THAT SAID SECOND AND THIRD PINS ARE CLOSER TO THE BACK OF SAID CHAMBER THAN SAID FIRST PIN, AND A LATCH FOR HOLDING SAID CLOSURE MEMBER IN SAID CLOSED POSITION COMPRISING A SPRING MEMBER FIXED TO SAID SECOND SIDE WALL AND HAVING AN INCLINED SURFACE FACING TOWARD SAID BACK WALL AND SAID FIRST SIDE WALL OF SAID CHAMBER, AND AN ENGAGING MEMBER FIXED TO SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO ENGAGE SAID INCLINED SURFACE OF SAID SPRING MEMBER WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEMBER IS IN SAID CLOSED POSITION SO THAT SAID SPRING BIASES SAID CLOSURE MEMBER TO ITS CLOSED POSITION, WHEREBY SAID CLOSURE MEMBER CAN BE OPENED BY INITIAL MOVEMENT OF THE HINGED EDGE OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER OUT AWAY FROM SAID FIRST SIDE WALL ACCOMPANIED BY A LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE OPPOSITE EDGE OF SAID FRONT MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID SPRING MEMBER TO DISENGAGE SAID ENGAGING MEMBER FROM SAID SPRING MEMBER. 